Salomon Women’s Sense Ride 3 Trail Running Shoe – A friend for your feet

Eliza Lockhart

Running shoes can be one of three things, your friend, your acquaintance, or your enemy. The friends support you, take care of you (your feet), make the run enjoyable. The acquaintances are a shoe you don’t have much of a relationship with, they’re neither good nor bad, they’re just a pair of shoes.

And I shouldn’t need to explain the enemy! Blisters, soreness… they make you never want to run again. So when it comes to the Salomon Sense Ride 3, they are 100%, my friend. They are the shoes that encourage me to go farther down the trail.

I’ve tested these in many conditions including packed snow, ice, mud, dirt roads, wet rocks, post-holing, and dry trails. I am really pleased with their versatility and how they handle all of these surfaces. They’re stiffer than the Sonic 3 Accelerate road running shoes but still softer than some of the more intense trail shoes out there.

With a 3/5 stability rating, you are not sacrificing ease of use for security. I’m not a big fan of hard-soled shoes, so the 5/5 cushion rating is one of my favorite aspects of these. Instead of your heels coming down to meet a hard surface, especially running downhill, the cushion helps absorb the impact.

Since these are inspired by road running shoes, I have really enjoyed my soft dirt road runs in these. They offer the cushion that is required but still not so aggressive that you can’t enjoy the simple surface of the road. Running through the woods in the North East, I ended up in a lot of wet terrains.

Their tread handled the wet rocks and streams really well but didn’t excel on wet logs. I can’t be too critical in that department because I have never seen a pair of shoes that can handle wet logs, but it is something to be aware of. So, in general, when it comes to the Sense Ride 3 tread, the full rubber Contagrip® outsole gives you great purchase on a variety of surfaces making moving forward a breeze.

The upper consists of mesh which keeps debris out and cool air circulating through the shoe. I have found this feature to be effective for both of these things. With all the puddles I have run through, my socks may be wet but they’re not covered in dirt and my feet don’t completely overheat.

The Quicklace™ lacing system is super convenient and makes putting on and taking off your shoes easy. Although I’m confident that if you’re reading this you probably know how to tie your shoes, it is convenient to just bend down and move the toggle. But what’s different between the Quicklace and shoelace system is their reliability.

These have never loosened on me during a run, they stay put and provide an even tightness throughout my whole foot. The only issue I have with this system, and with the whole shoe for that matter, is the little pocket you are supposed to put the extra laces in. Unfortunately, the pocket sits right underneath your tight laces so there is no way you can put anything in there. It’s a small issue, but kind of inconvenient. The extra laces bounce due to the rubber piece on the end so I just shove them under the tightened laces on top of my arch.

Salomon Women’s Sense Ride 3 Trail Running Shoe Review

The Salomon Sense Ride 3 has been a total dream to run in. They haven’t shown any signs of wear, there was no break-in period, no blisters, they provide ample cushion and yet still have stability. They really do it all. And for $120 I’d say these are a total no-brainer.

Backcountry

REI


Sense Ride 3 Trail Running Shoe - Women's regularly $119.95 on sale $89.96

Eliza Lockhart

Growing up snowboarding and hiking in the bitter cold winters and humid summers of northern Vermont, Eliza learned how to beat up gear and quickly became infatuated with new technologies. After moving to Colorado in 2015 to pursue a degree in recreation and outdoor education at Western Colorado University, her passion for the outdoors grew exponentially. Soon after, she picked up rock climbing, telemark skiing, backpacking, canyoneering, and is slowly learning to love rafting. Through these learning processes, Eliza began to understand the importance of the right gear and hopes to share her experiences and knowledge with others through Engearment.

Now working for Beacon Guidebooks as the ‘Wearer of Many Hats’ (yes, that is her official title), Eliza has learned the ins and outs of the outdoor industry. She has also worked on marketing teams, as a photographer, media coordinator, outdoor instructor and as a wrangler. She is especially excited to encourage other women in the outdoors and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion.